Simulated brick construction in conjunction with concrete forming and fabrication of structures is becoming increasingly common in the construction of modem buildings. This is due to the fact that it is quite expensive to use the services of masons in order to build a conventional laid-up brick or masonry wall. With the shortage of skilled masons today, fabricating a conventional brick or masonry wall is costly and difficult. In order to avoid high costs and inconvenience, many construction companies have gone to the use of simulated brick building panels having concrete backing and position them as required to form a wall or structure having a simulated brick exterior appearance. A problem with this type of construction is that the panels are difficult to handle and position at the construction site.
Construction of this type of wall has improved recently by the use of brick or object retainers which are fastened directly to the inside surface of the concrete wall form. Concrete is poured into the form and flows around the back of the brick which is embedded in the outer surface of the structure. The problem with this type of construction is that many retainers fail and cause the bricks to fall to the bottom of the form cavity during the pouring process. Thus, a large void is left in the finished wall surface or concrete is exposed where the missing brick should be located. In addition, the panels and retainers which are currently used have been quite expensive and difficult to install. Most of these retainers require the bricks to be inserted into recesses within the panel or retainers within the form and therefore must be placed one at a time to cover the interior surface of the concrete form prior to pouring the concrete.
A different type of retainer is the liner or mat which is used in the horizontal position. These retainers are usually formed from elastomeric material and have recesses which closely fit the outside of the objects which are to be retained and position these objects in a desired pattern. The most common of these is the type which is fabricated for holding brick pavers and is designed to have the appearance of a conventional brick wall. This type of form and retainer is usually arranged in a horizontal position because it lacks the required support to securely hold the bricks or objects in position.
Another type of retainer used in vertical construction incorporates a mechanical structure attached to the inside surface of the concrete wall form and securely retains the brick or object in proper position during the pouring of the concrete.
However, none of the existing retainers can retain an object in a perpendicular relationship around a corner of a wall, thus creating the appearance of an exposed brick corner of conventional masonry construction. There is a need for a low-cost, disposable retainer which can position an "L" shaped object on a form to create the appearance of a corner or edge of a traditional masonry wall.
Another area which has become of major concern is how to hold the bracket and object in proper position on the form. Many methods have been used in the past, but have proven to be inadequate. This is especially true in relation to the use of steel wall forms or other rigid materials. With the use of brackets for retaining objects the brackets must be individual anchored to the form by nails, staples or other devices to adequately retain the bracket in position but still releasable to allow removal when the forming process is complete.